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Month: January 2014

Okies, let’s get right down to business. I currently have a .40S&W, and am buying about $150/month on factory ammo…

I’m going to purchase a 9mm for NRA competition type shooting. Have NO idea as to the power factor requirements for that, or if I should approach the low end or the “hot” end for competition.

Thinking about getting either an RCSB or DILLON PRECiSION single stage press (I do NOT want a progressive because I will want TOTAL control of powder measure and everything else). I pretty much realize that in the long run reloading will be cheaper for me given that I’ll be a high volume shooter.

Also, I shoot VERY long range with a .308. So I would indeed like to work up an optimal load for that. Match grade ammo is the only ammo I find remotely acceptable off-the-shelf, so now we’re talking about two pistol calibers and one rifle, and that’s a minimum at this point, because I intend to purchase a few more “range toys” lol.

Question is this: RCSB or DILLON??

My most recent advice, from a guy that does 500-800 yard prairie dog shooting, is DILLON, but that’s rifle, while I’m talking about precision loading 9mm on a VERY regular basis.

Anyone have recommendations?

Also, I know I need the press and die sets for each caliber, but can anyone give me a recommended (with brand) list of the other stuff for PRECISION, round by round, to the 1/100 gr (or smaller tolerance) for 9mm pistol reloading? What’s the best powder scale? Who makes the best bullets? Who makes the best powder? Used to be Hodgon(sp?), but are there others that are any better? What about all the other stuff?

ALL INPUT IS WELCOME ON THIS!! (That includes advice, not just comments).

Like this:

What do you think is the very best match grade ammo for .40 S&W?

January 26, 2014. 0511HRS:

Recently, I have been using Winchester FN FMJ, 165gr ammunition in my Glock 27 for target shooting practice. It does well, but I have to wonder if there is some true, match grade ammo out there in .40 S&W that I just haven’t seen yet?

Any suggestions? What would YOU use for competition ammo? NO RELOAD information please. I do not reload, and do not intend to reload for competition stuff. Maybe I should? What do YOU think?

Would like input from people who actually use a .40 Pistol…

If you look at my shooting log page, you will see the sort of results I am currently getting. Granted, some of that has to do with me, some of it with the small frame of my G27 (muzzle jump) that has not yet been modified. And it isn’t my eyes. I see quite well with my glasses on, and use the “Over the Eyeglasses,” clear safety glasses when I shoot.

I’ve been firing between 104-200 rounds a week for practice, and shooting at different distances, as well as shooting one handed (strong and weak side), and of course two handed.

I have a HUGE wish-list at the GlockStore of accurizing parts, and hopefully the modifications I intend to do will be of help. I think they will. I’m going to put a Lone Wolf threaded barrel and compensator on, as well as a 3.5lb trigger connector, a titanium striker, and a titanium plunger. Also going to do the heavy, competition type magwells to give the gun a little more weight and potentially a more firm and steady grip. Also going to put the heaviest recoil spring they make on the thing!

Regardless of those factors, I want to be sure my ammo is the best I can purchase for competition purposes. I need to be shooting 2-4 inch groups at 50 yards, and right now I’m shooting closer to 5 inch groups at 40 feet…..so “I” need some work, and I want to ensure the pistol is tuned up as well as I can get it . I really believe the longer, threaded/compensated barrel will make a huge difference, as well as a decreased trigger pull weight and some other mods.

Guess what I’m trying to say is that I do NOT want my pistol OR my ammo to be limiting factors in my accuracy. The ONLY factor I want to have to deal with is ME. I mean, I want the pistol to have the capability to shoot better than I am able to shoot. Don’t want equipment or ammo issues holding ME back!

I tried to reply to this topic elsewhere, but it wouldn’t accept my comment for some reason. So here is what I posted:

Have to agree that we need societal change vs. a gun ban. I was raised “country,” and had a 12-ga shotgun in my closet, loaded, starting around age 12 (or earlier…can’t recall at this point). I hunted before elementary school, and was told by my dad who worked third shift that if anyone broke in to shoot them. I’ve never killed a civilian in my life!However, I was instructed well in the use of guns, gun safety, etc., and was raised in a family who did not resort to lethal force to solve anything at all. The very worst thing I ever saw or was involved in were fist fights. And back in my very young years, we kids would fight, and afterwards become friends. We were establishing the pecking order…

Those days are gone. Long gone. See, my mother didn’t work, and was there to keep an eye on me, and to hold me responsible for my actions. I wasn’t a latchkey kid like so very many are today. And when I screwed up, I got a “whoopin'”, and dang well didn’t “do that again!” Of course nowadays those “whoopins” are considered child abuse.

Now, as a father, I whooped my kids when they were young, and sometimes I shouldn’t have. Many times I shouldn’t have. But neither of them have grown up to be violent, and I have since made amends with them regarding the times I whooped ’em unnecessarily. But regardless, they by God learned how to behave.

All that said, I was also taken care of by my parents. Most of the time at the expense of Father & Son time, but still, I had plenty of food, good clothes (not name brand designer stuff, but good nonetheless), my mama did my laundry and hung it up/folded it, put it up, etc., and was up before me to cook me breakfast before school for as long as I was in school. And I’m not talking about Pop Tarts either. I mean stuff like eggs & toast (sometimes bacon as well), or oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc. Good, hearty stuff.

And though my family was very dysfunctional in many ways, I was also taught ethics and morals by being taken every Sunday to church. It was drilled into me (unfortunately in a bad way sometimes), that some things are just plain wrong to do, and we were to love our neighbor as ourselves, be kind, be polite, and be considerate, etc.

Then I had my “military time and training,” which reinforced ethics and morals as well as proper behavior, and most importantly, personal integrity.

Now compare that to the latchkey, Pop Tart eatin, TV baby-sitted, ignored children of today, and perhaps we can all see about where and when things went wrong.They went wrong when both parents began to work. It changed from “extra” income, to “we need it” income. People started living beyond the means of ONE parent’s paycheck, trying to “keep up with the neighbors,” and all that bologna, and next thing you know, parents’ careers started coming before their children. And that’s totally best case. In some areas/neighborhoods, it has become ONE parent families where the ONE parent HAS to work (rightfully so), and then instead of taking care of children when they get home, they prefer to go “hit the club” and party out.Or, we also have the drug addicted parents, alcoholic parents, abusive parents, etc., etc. et al ad nauseam. I’m NOT blaming the school shootings on parents, but I’ll be danged if the majority of American parents are devoting a reasonable/ample amount of time to raising their kids. Heck, often the parents are kids themselves, and have no clue how to raise one because they themselves were not raised properly.

It then turns into a snowball effect that has created society as we now know it.

IF we want to take back control of our society, it must start with taking back control of, and raising, our children. No more letting them “stay all night at a friend’s house” when we know they will be doing things they ought not, while we and our spouse “go out” or whatever…putting our kids off onto other parents, or onto no one at all, as is typically the case. How many of us demand to meet the parents of the kids who OUR kids go to spend the night with? Hmmm….if we did, we may see some things we shouldn’t be allowing.

Then we wonder why, after seeing all the violent acts on the news, and all the attention the offenders get in the media, that our kids, who we have deprived of positive feedback, are willing to accept ANY feedback, even NEGATIVE feedback, by mimicking the killers they see on TV while we are out drinking and carousing with our girlfriend or spouse or whomever. We wonder why? Really?

Our society is FUBAR. Totally and completely FUBAR. And it needs to be taken back by “We the People” RIGHT NOW. To hell with gun control. How about “Kid control?” How about mandated “Parental Responsibility?” How about holding parents who are complicit in a gun crime by not properly storing their weapons get prosecuted equally with their child offender? I bet that would jack up the sale of gun lockers/safes/vaults. Until “We the People” take back our own American Societal Ideals, then we MUST prevent unsupervised access to firearms by our kids.

It is sadly no longer a day when a 12 year old boy like I was can have a loaded shotgun in the closet and nothing bad happen. Today is now the day when the guns must be locked up and inaccessible to unsupervised kids.

Hell, legislate that! Legislate a measure that requires proper storage of firearms, else the risk of being charged equally with the child that accesses them and commits a crime. Or the burglar that steals the “loose” guns in the house and commits another crime. Dammit, lock up the guns away from kids and criminals, and change our ways to that of responsible adults. It is only when our kids see “responsible adult actions” from their parents, that they will begin to imitate US instead of the crazy ass Hollywood Action stars and the criminals they see on the TV we sit them in front of so that WE don’t have to deal with them ourselves.

Anti-Gun Crowd is FULL of (Black)Racists and Idiots

After a few months of looking at sites like: http://www.theobamacrat.com , and others, I have determined that I can safely say there is just no room for dialogue with the Anti-Gun Activists. THEY do NOT want to talk about compromise at all. They just want to talk, be heard, and for the government to follow their ideals in passing even more restrictions on guns and gun ownership, as well as concealed-carry laws.

Trust me, I’ve done plenty of research, and I have yet to find ONE anti-gun person or group on the Web that has any interest in talking sensibly about gun laws. They just do NOT want to hear from anyone who even slightly opposes their views. And my oh my, if you tell them you are an NRA member (like me and probably most of those reading this), they completely shut off their ears.

So, because of this bad experience with all the anti-gun people I have encountered during intense research over the past six weeks+, I have deleted a post in which I made a suggestion regarding a few modifications to our current gun laws.

I sincerely regret trying to talk with these people. They are close-minded, rude, sometimes racist against white guys like me, and immovable in their overly staunch views. Therefore, I will no longer attempt to have a conversation with anyone who is anti-gun. I will “moderate out” any posts by such people, especially “JB” from The Obamacrat, who clearly called me a fascist, racist, etc., and went so far as to tell me to “go suck a ……”

I’ve been courteous, gracious, and nothing but classy to ALL who have been to this site. NO MORE.

Anti-gunners are nothing but would be socialists who would have no problem living in a United States where ONLY the Police and Military have guns. Long, long ago, I recall reading in an “American Rifleman” magazine that, “A state in which only the Police have guns, is a Police State.”

That’s not the Proud Gun Heritage of which I am a part, and it is certainly not the type of society we Americans want!

I am so very sorry about the people who have unnecessarily lost their lives to gun violence. However, that is why I carry mine…I refuse to be a victim. No, I’m not looking for a reason to shoot or kill someone else. That is FAR from the mindset I have. I will be damned if I forsake my roots or give up my guns for these people, and leave myself and my family unprotected. And we would be unprotected. I assure you that I, and many, many people like me, are able to respond to the threat of lethal force MUCH faster than even the best Police Officer can be dispatched and save our collective rumps.

SUMMARY: I do not wish to give up ANY of my current gun rights. I do, however, wish the laws to be loosened more than a little so that I can enjoy MORE gun rights. I shouldn’t have to jump through hoops just to prove to the world that I’m an honest American citizen. My driver’s license, and a background check should be suffiicient to purchase any gun I wish. NO MORE GUN LAWS! We have ENOUGH!

I’m personally sorry for the school, theater, and other mass killing victims and their families, but damn it, I did not do it! In most cases, the idiots who perpetrate such crimes got their guns from other idiots who either just flat let them have the gun(s), or from other idiots who didn’t store them properly so as to prevent psychopaths from getting to them.

As a retired soldier, and as a law-abiding citizen, I should not be punished for the acts of idiots. Punish the dang idiots who commit the crimes, and the people who were complicit in allowing their guns to be used for such crimes. “I ain’t the One!”

Further, it is my opinion that any citizen, in any state in the country, who can pass a background check and an NRA approved pistol class, should be licensed to carry a concealed weapon (pistol/revolver), and that license should be valid in EVERY STATE IN AMERICA. PERIOD.

As for me, I am disabled and my pistol is my ONLY protection against physical violence. Are you Anti-Gun people going to tell me I just have to take a bullet because concealed carry is not my right? I’ve got just two words for ya all: BITE ME!

In addition, shooting sports should be part of High School requirements in the USA. Every person over the age of twelve should be trained in the use of shotgun, rifle, and pistol — of course by qualified “teachers,” such as NRA qualified instructors. Have you Anti-Gunners ever seen the people in the Olympics doing their rifle shooting? Shooting IS a sport. Will you outlaw footballs next? Or better yet, basketballs? No one seems to take issue with NBA players making MILLIONS for playing a game, yet they have an issue with me PAYING to participate in MY sport of choice? Please.

Upon graduation, and upon attaining the age of eighteen, those who successfully complete their course requirements should be eligible to apply for a concealed carry license. At 17, I was enlisted in the USAFR, and could be called up to use a firearm, but you’re going to tell me that while I was 18 in the military that I should not have had the right to purchase a handgun? That is ludicrous!

I’m only 44 years old, and I recall looking at rifles and shotguns in the “Sears” catalog. I didn’t buy one and go kill others at random. Neither did anyone I knew at that young age. As a matter of fact, all the local hardware stores, “Murphy Marts,” Sears, etc., sold guns. Why not? Guns ARE tools. WE use them for hunting (food, you know), for target shooting, and myriad other events that are awesomely fun in which to participate.

The problem is DEFINITELY NOT THE GUNS. The real problem is our society’s lack of ability to properly care for and raise children. Families are almost forced to have two working parents in our country now just to have a house, maybe a good car and maybe a “beater”, and to get by at the grocery store. Maybe we should legislate parenting? Perhaps there needs to be a change deeper in our ethics and morals? Perhaps ALL adults should ensure ALL firearms in the home are NOT accessible to our kids? Ya think?

As for those who succeed in unnecessarily (i.e., not self-defense) killing another with a gun, make it a mandatory, MINIMUM twenty-five year federal prison sentence! If a citizen over age 18 (or who is to be tried as an adult), is violent enough to kill innocent children or others, then send them up to the Federal Prisons with the big boys, and we’ll see how their silly selves fare then. Heck, for that matter, if someone shoots and kills another “just for the heck of it” (research gang violence if you are clueless here) vs. self-defense, make it a death sentence! I am sure that as a CCW holder that I will never kill without it being a “kill or BE killed situation,” and am willing to make sure I can prove a case of self-defense. Personally, as a gun owner and an NRA member, I value human life. It is sacred, and I am a man of honor, integrity, and morals…an upright, law abiding citizen, etc., etc., etc., and the very LAST thing I EVER wish to do is to shoot another human being. I would much prefer to punch holes in paper with my pistol during a competition, than to hurt or kill another person.

How do we, as Christians, reconcile our support of the Second Amendment right to Keep and Bear Arms??

How do we, Christians who own guns and carry them (legally with a CCW license), reconcile possibly having to kill someone in our own defense, or in defense of our families, with the teachings of Jesus?

One thing that comes to mind is the “turn the other cheek” passage. Fact is, in that day and age, it was considered “not manly” to strike someone with your left hand. So, if a Christian was struck by a Roman, and then turned their other cheek to him, so that if there was another slap that had to be left handed, it would be an insult to the Roman himself, and this was a way of civil disobedience, not Jesus telling us to let people just do as they will to us! (Attention JB: Do you know who Martin Luther King, Jr. was? He preached civil disobedience, like Jesus did). Feel free to research that for yourself if you like, but trust me, I do know what I am talking about in this case 🙂 LOL

But really, WHAT IF?

What if we have to shoot someone?

What if they die as a result? Is that murder? Not by the law of the land it isn’t. Is it therefore not a sin? If it is a sin, would YOU commit it to save yourself or your family?

OMG what a LOSER!! Put a bunch of people out of a bunch of money cuz of his BS lying. Only someone who has absolutely NO honor, integrity, or sense of duty to our Nation could do something like this.
Looks like he will now be a 2 time felon…I hope they set the jail down over top of this loon!

I very much want to shoot in pistol competition! Matter of fact, I really, really want to shoot in the Bianchi Cup in 2017 OR 2018 and on….However, I am unsure of the path to follow that will get me there.

It begins with ME of course. Do I have the talent? (I think so) Do I have the proper equipment? NO I DO NOT!!!

What I have is an off-the-shelf Glock 27 (.40 S&W), that has not had ANY modifications done to it….I intend to lighten the trigger to 3.5lbs, and put a steel competition grade barrel in it, BUT THIS IS NOT WHAT I WANT TO SHOOT COMPETITION WITH!!!

I NEED ADVICE!!!

I’ve got my eyes on a custom shop tricked out Sig P226 9mm, and am looking at needing to spend around $2200 just for the pistol and 2 magazines. Obviously I will need more magazines, but am unsure of what else I may need? Any advice out there?

As for my skill with a pistol…..with the GLOCK I described above, no mods, I can completely tear out a 3″ bullseye at 25 feet. However, due to the short barrel, excessive recoil, etc., as well as a lack of experience with “Target” shooting at 50 feet, I’m not worth a crap at that distance (50′). IMO, I need a 9mm vs. the .40, and a pistol with as little recoil as possible, along with superbly machined parts and stuff, hence the Sig custom gun that I’m looking at. But, by the time I have the cash free to buy one, they’ll likely have yet another model out LOL, which is fine (I’ll just go with whatever the latest and best is), but for now, I’m limited to my Glock 27, which I am certainly going to upgrade a bit, but it is still NOT a competition grade firearm or caliber IMO.

So, are there any competitive pistol people out there who would be so kind as to share their advice with me?

How do I start the road to pistol competition? Is it with NRA postal match? Is it by joining the VFW and shooting with them or something?

See, I’m a disabled vet and stuff, and am actually now missing my dominant hand’s index finger, which means my “trigger finger”, so I have to compensate for that on my grip on a pistol, as well as with trigger pull and stuff. I can and have been able to do that. But what I’m getting at is, since I am eligible, would a VFW with a shooting team be a good place to start, or should I just begin going to NRA sanctioned matches and shooting in them?

What is required to qualify for such matches? Does one have to have an NRA ranking or whatever?

In summation, I need advice on “the perfect competition grade pistol”, and where to start my path to the 2017 or 2018 Bianchi Cup. I don’t expect that I could win, but I DEFINITELY want to qualify and shoot in it!!! That alone would be a dream come true for me.